Conflict and cooperation: Territorial (dis)continuities on the Ceuta-Morocco border scenario

Abstract

This contribution examines the development of territorial dynamics on the Ceuta-Morocco border region in the context of the Spanish-Moroccan rebordering that followed Spain’s EU entrance. The evolution of border practice is canvassed through the confronting notions of territorial discontinuity and territorial continuity. Current territorial dynamics between Ceuta and Morocco are characterized by both the existence of conflictive geopolitical cross-border dialectics and the implementation of fortifying securitization measures. However, simultaneously, the border region is also marked by intensifying patterns of cross border interaction which are sourced in the rising potentialities of economic and urban cross-border cooperation. In this light, the paper seeks to map the present intertwining of these apparently disagreeing territorial trends. To conclude, the paper underlines the ongoing modification of relational power between Ceuta and Morocco.

Key Words: Ceuta, Morocco, border, European Union.